The subject matter herein relates to electrical contacts for interconnecting electrical components and, more particularly, to contacts that are press-fit into holes to mechanically and electrically couple the components.
Electrical contacts may be used to mechanically and electrically connect electrical components (e.g., circuit boards, conductors, electrical connectors) to one another. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,017,143 to Knowles (“Knowles”) describes one known electrical contact that is used to electrically couple a connector to a printed circuit board. The contact is configured to be press-fit into a plated thru-hole of the circuit board. The contact includes a central section having a C-shaped cross-section that is formed by oppositely extending arcuate arms. The arcuate arms taper as the arms extend away from each other to corresponding ends. The C-shaped central section merges with a long wire-wrap tail section that extends a distance away from the central section and forms a tip at a front end of the contact. In order for the contact to engage the hole, the tail section is first inserted into an opening of the hole and advanced therethrough. After the tail section advances a distance into the hole, the arcuate arms engage the opening of the hole and bend toward each other. When the contact is fully inserted, the arcuate arms of the C-shaped cross-section are conformed to the shape of the hole and are electrically coupled to a conductive path therein.
Although the contact described in Knowles is able to interconnect the printed circuit board and the connector, it may be necessary to carefully maneuver the connector and/or contacts due to the long tail section. If the tail section is not properly inserted into the hole, the contacts may become damaged or misaligned. Furthermore, the contact described in Knowles does not provide an initial tactile indication that the contact has engaged the hole.
Accordingly, there is a need for electrical contacts that may be more easily inserted into corresponding holes than known contacts. There is also a need for electrical contacts that provide a tactile indication that the contacts have engaged the holes.